Friend or Foe
Michael Morpurgo Biography Michael Morpurgo: ' * Born: 5 October 1943, St Albans, UK. * Full Name: Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo. AKA: Michael Morpurgo * Married Clare Morpurgo, also an author, in 1963. ' Education: ' * Independent Prep School Mount House in Devon. * King’s School, an independent school in Canterbury. * King’s College, London. * Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. ' Best prizes: ' * Became a member of the Royal Society of Literature (The RSL) in 2004. * Became part of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007 * Received knighthood in 2018 and now called, Sir Michael Morpurgo, OBE. * Received The Children’s Laureate Award in 2003. * Received the Carnegie Medal for outstanding new English-language book for children or young adults. ' 10 great books by Michel Morpurgo: * Born to Run * Flamingo Boy * In the Mouth of the Wolf * Kensukes Kingdom * Private Peaceful * Singing for Mrs Pettigrew * The Butterfly Lion * Waiting for Anya * War Horse * Why the Whales Came ' Michael Morpurgo or Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo was born on the 5th of October, 1943, in St Albans, UK. His education includes an Independent Prep School Mount House in Devon, King’s School, King’s College; London, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He Married Clare Morpurgo, also an author, in 1963. He is now 76 Years Old. Some of his many honours are: he became a member of the Royal Society of Literature (The RSL) in 2004, part of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007, received a knighthood in 2018 and now called, Sir Michael Morpurgo, OBE. Some prizes he has won for his outstanding writing are The Children’s Laureate Award in 2003 and The Carnegie Medal for outstanding new English language book for children or young adults. Ten great books by Michael Morpurgo are: In the Mouth of the Wolf, Kensukes Kingdom, Private Peaceful, The Butterfly Lion, Waiting for Anya, War Horse and Why the Whales Came. Description ''Friend or Foe is a children's historical fiction novel, written by Michael Morpurgo, and published in 1977. Evacuated from London, David and Tucky feel like the war is a long way away from their new life in the countryside. Then one night the skyline of the moor is lit up with gun flashes, and the distant crump of bombing miles away brings the war back to them and shatters their new-found peace. When a German bomber crashes, the boys feel they should hate the airmen inside. But one of them saves David's life... Reader's Reviews 1 Michael Morpurgo is an award winning author who has written books for children and adults, many of which have been used in the classroom for KS2 classes through guided reading sessions. Having read ‘Friend or Foe’ within a class setting, I can see that children thoroughly enjoy it. The book is set in World War 2 where Britain is under attack by the Germans, and this has led to children being evacuated from their city homes to the countryside. The main character are 2 children called David and Tucky who have been brought up thinking the Germans are their enemies, yet the story develops such that a German pilot saves David’s life. The key theme of this book is how the children are taught to make up their own opinions and to become independent, rather than relying on other people. It was interesting to see the debates that occurred over how the children would react in the same situation, would they tell the police that the Germans were here? Or would they have looked after the Germans, because they had saved the child’s life? ‘Friend or Foe’ was particularly interesting for the children I read it to, as they were intrigued with the book being set in World War 2, and that they could relate to the main characters due to being of a similar age. During one term, the class I worked in developed a video clip, where they created characters out of felt, card and other materials, and then they filmed an extract of the book and created voiceovers to go with the clip. 2 Friend or Foe is a great book for children 9 or older. This book has lots of great information on World War 2 but Morpurgo make these facts interesting by putting them in events which happen during the story. The cause of the events in this book is the war as it causes the children in the book to flee from their homes and families. I believe you would like this because of the war in this book, the lies and secrecy. Also, I think you would like this book if you like books about children your age and younger doing all these things you would never want to do because the main character is a child going through a tough time in the war. Parental Guidance *Reading Age: 9+ *Reading Aloud Age: 8+ If you like this you might like *Other books written by Michael Morpurgo. External Links *The official website of Michael Morpurgo. Category:Michael Morpurgo Category:World War II Category:Historical Fiction Category:Age 9 Category:Age 10 Category:Age 11 Category:Age 12 Category:Age 13 Category:Books released in the United Kingdom Category:1977